• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.822-828
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• 2005

The photocatalytic degradation of methyl parathion was carried out using a circulating $TiO_2$/solar system. Under the photocatalytic condition, parathion was more effectively degraded than by the photolysis or $TiO_2$ only condition. The parathion degradation followed pseudo first-order kinetics. With photocatalysis, 10 mg/L parathion was completely degraded within 90 min with a TOC decrease exceeding 63% after 150 min. The nitrogen from parathion was recovered mainly as ${NO_2}^-$, ${NO_3}^-$, and ${NH_4}^+$, 80% of sulfur as ${SO_4}^{2-}$, and less than 5% of phosphorus as ${PO_4}^{3-}$ during photocatalysis. The organic intermediates 4-nitrophenol and paraoxon were also identified, and these were further degraded. Two different bioassays using V. fischeri and D. magna were employed to measure the toxicity reduction in the solutions treated by both photocatalysis and photolysis. Relative toxicity was reduced almost completely after 150 min in both organisms under the photocatalysis, whereas in photolysis, 76 and 57% reduction was achieved for V. fischeri and D. magna, respectively. The acute toxicity reduction pattern corresponded with the decrease in parathion and TOC concentrations.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.900-906
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• 2005

The responses of two luminescence-based biosensors were studied on various heavy metals in aqueous solutions. One was recombinant E. coli ($DH5{\alpha}$/pSB311), genetically modified luminescence-based bacteria, and the other was Vibrio fisheri used for the LumisTox system. The recombinant E. coli was marked with the lux CDABE gene from multicopy plasmid, pACYC184, originally isolated from Photorhabdus luminescens. The $DH5{\alpha}$/pSB311 had a characteristic of no organic substrate for its luminescence reaction. Among the tested heavy metals Zinc and cadmium were less toxic than copper and mercury. The recombinant E. coli was more sensitive to toxicity of heavy metals than the LumisTox. The order of toxicity of the heavy metals to the recombinant E. coli was $Hg^{2+}>Cu^{2+}>Zn^{2+}>Cd^{2+}$. In case of the LumisTox, the order of the toxicity of heavy metals was $Hg^{2+}>Cu^{2+}>Cd^{2+}>Zn^{2+}$. The genetically modified luminescence-based biosensor offers a range of sensitive, rapid, and easy to use methods for assessing the potential toxicity of heavy metals in aqueous samples.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.154-159
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• 2006

It is essential to understand the decomposition characteristics for developing the optimum anaerobic digestion system of organic wastes. In this study, BMP (Biochemical Methane Potential) test using serum bottle was conducted to evaluate the anaerobic degradability of fish offal. 3 different groups of fish offal including waste from mackerel and hairtail handling except viscera and fish viscera were chosen for the substrates. Grinded fish offal was transferred anaerobically to serum bottle in amounts of 50 ml, 100 ml and 150 ml, respectively. BMP test was carried out in triplicate. Cumulative methane production and methane production rate depending on incubation time were evaluated. These results varied depending on substrate characteristics. The average values of ultimate methane yield ranged between $420ml{\cdot}CH_4/g{\cdot}VS$ and $490ml{\cdot}CH_4/g{\cdot}VS$, and the methane production and degradation rate of viscera were higher than those of other parts of fish offal. According to the analysis of elemental composition, average C/N ratio of fish offal used in this study was 5.2. Theoretical ultimate methane yield calculated from elemental composition was $522ml{\cdot}CH_4/g{\cdot}VS$. Biodegradability was calculated as 0.847.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.45-55
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• 1996

Although the Dongjin Au-Ag-Cu mine had been abandoned since about forty years ago, the results of this study on the dispersion patterns and contamination level of heavy metals in the hydrologic system flowing via the waste rump show that the environmental impacts from the mine wastes are still significant. The stream water in the vicinity of the waste rump is severely acidified (pH 3.8 to 4.4) and highly enriched in various dissolved heavy metals. The heavy metal contents of the stream water and stream sediments are systematically attenuated with increasing distance from the mine area. However, it is worth to note that continuous attenuation of heavy metal contents in both media were reenriched in downstream area more than 800 m apart from the mine because it can be acted as a secondary source of heavy metal pollution. The heavy metals, especially Cd, Cu and Zn of polluted downstream sediments mainly occur in Fe-Mn oxides and organic materials, which indicates that these elements are the main pollutants from the waste rump of the Dongjin mine. The heavy metal contents of crops, such as sesame, perilla, red Pepper and brown rice, collected from the polluted farm land in the downstream area are lower than those of land plants from stream sides, but significantly higher in Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn than those from the unpolluted farm land. Especially, almost all of the crops in polluted farm land have been severly contaminated by Cd (>0.4 ppm). On the other hand, the heavy metal contents of the crops collected from refreshed farm land by means of a soil addition method shows significantly lowered level comparing with those of polluted area, which indicates that a soil addition method was effective for the refreshment of polluted farm land by toxic metallic pollutants. Wormwoods from this area showed very high contents in a11 the heavy metals even in unpolluted area (Cd > 1 ppm, Cr > 1 ppm, Cu > 11 ppm, Pb> 4 ppm, Zn > 55 ppm), indicating that a special caution must be payed when one takes ingest them.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.11
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• pp.1232-1235
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• 2008

Imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), is used for the treatment of non-polar depression and nocturnal enuresis in children in whom an organic pathology has been excluded, anxiety disorders, and neuropathic pain. Clinical toxicity following the treatment of TCAs, including imipramine, is well known. The anticholinergic effects initially present include a dry mouth, ileus, dilated pupils, urinary retention, and mild sinus tachycardia. The central nervous system toxicity includes delirium, agitation, restlessness, hallucinations, convulsions, and CNS depression or coma. However, the most life-threatening toxicity remains the development of cardiac dysrhythmias. Conduction delays such as QRS and corrected QT prolongation, wide QRS complex tachycardia, and the Brugada electrocardiographic pattern have been reported. Sodium bicarbonate decreases QRS widening and suppresses dysrhythmias by providing excess sodium to reverse the TCA-induced sodium-channel blockade and possibly by binding directly to the myocardium. There are no pediatric case reports on imipramine or other TCA associated toxicity in Korea. Here, we describe a patient who presented with convulsions, tachycardia with a wide QRS complex, a Brugada electrocardiographic pattern, and anuresis associated with an accidental overdose of imipramine and the outcome of treatment with sodium bicarbonate.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.32-40
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• 2006

This study's objects are to suggest effective forest community-level management measures by identifying the vulnerable forest vegetation communities types to climate change through a comparative analysis with present forest communities identified and delineated in the Actual Vegetation Map. The methods of this study are to classify the climatic life zones based on the correlative climate-vegetation relationship for each forest vegetation community, the Holdridge Bio-Climate Model was employed. This study confirms relationship between forest vegetation and environmental factors using Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis. Then, the future distribution of forest vegetation are predicted derived factors and present distribution of vegetation by utilizing the multinomial logit model. The vulnerability of forest to climate change was evaluated by identifying the forest community shifts slower than the average velocity of forest moving (VFM) for woody plants, which is assumed to be 0.25 kilometers per year. The major findings in this study are as follows : First, the result of correlative analysis shows that summer precipitation, mean temperature of the coldest month, elevation, soil organic matter contents, and soil acidity (pH) are highly influencing factors to the distribution of forest vegetation. Secondly, the result of the vulnerability assessment employing the assumed velocity of forest moving for woody plants (0.25kmjyear) shows that 54.82% of the forest turned out to be vulnerable to climate change. The sub-alpine vegetations in regions around Mount Jiri and Mount Seorak are predicted to shift the dominance toward Quercus mongolica and Pinus densiflora communities. In the identified vulnerable areas centering the southern and eastern coastal regions, about 8.27% of the Pinus densiflora communities is likely to shift to sub-tropical forest communities, and 3.38% of the Quercus mongolica communities is likely to shift toward Quercus acutissima communities. In the vulnerable areas scattered throughout the country, about 8.84% of the Quercus mongolica communities is likely to shift toward Pinus densiflora communities due to the effects of climate change. The study findings concluded that challenges associated with predicting the future climate using RCM and the assessment of the future vulnerabilities of forest vegetations to climate change are significant.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.73-82
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• 2008

In this study, a dry single-phase anaerobic digestion process (Dranco system) was investigated to evaluate the optimum operational conditions. Several factors such as injection rate of organic waste, biogas production, $CH_4$ content in the biogas, pH of the sludge, $NH_3$-N and VFA concentration were investigated based on the operation of the digestion process for 2 months (short term) and 8 months (long-term). The operation results showed that a small quantity of food waste should be injected every week and that a 10% increase of the microorganism injection rate should be needed. However, normal operation was conducted after 11 weeks based on the designed quantity. The $CH_4$ content in the biogas was high at the beginning and the end of the food injection. However, it was low during week days. When the biogas production was high, the $CH_4$ concentration was low. The biogas production increased with an increase of the injection rate. $100m^3$/ton of biogas was produced from normal operation of the digestion process based on the designed quantity. The pH values of the digestion tank based on short-term operation ranged from 8 to 8.5. However, the pH values ranged from 7.45 to 8.15 after 4 weeks of long-term operation. The $NH_3$-N concentration of short-term operation ranged from 4,500 to 5,500 ppm and it gradually decreased to 2,000ppm after normal operation was commenced. For long-term operation, it was 5,000ppm initially and 3,800ppm after normal operation was commenced. The VFA concentration of sludge was less than 900ppm and 2,500ppm for short and long-term operations, respectively, after normal operation. Overall, the differences between sludge pH, $NH_3$-N and VFA concentrations may be due to the different types of microorganisms and the digestion ability of the microorganisms which exist in the accumulation of non digested organics. Moreover, it may be also caused by the type of food waste. Further investigation is needed to confirm these relationships.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.390-397
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• 2010

Residual solvents in foods are defined as organic volatile chemicals used or produced in manufacturing of extracts or additives, or functional foods. The solvents are not completely eliminated by practical manufacturing techniques and they also may become contaminated by solvents from packing, transportation or storage in warehouses. Because residual solvents have no nutritional value but may be hazardous to human health, there is a need to remove them from the final products or reduce their amounts to below acceptable levels. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an analytical method for the screening of residual solvents in health functional foods. Furthermore, the aim of this study was to constitute a reasonable management system based on the current state of the market and case studies of foreign countries. Eleven volatile solvents such as MeOH, EtOH, trichloroethylene and hexane were separated depending on their column properties, temp. and time using Gas Chromatography (GC). After determining the GC conditions, a sample preparation method using HSS (Head Space Sampling) was developed. From the results, a method for analyzing residual solvents in health functional foods was developed considering matrix effect and interference from the sample obtained from the solution of solvents-free health functional foods spiked with 11 standards solutions. Validation test using the developed GC/HSS/MS (Mass Spectrometry) method was followed by tests for precision, accuracy, recovery, linearity and adequate sensitivity. Finally, examination of 104 samples grouped in suits was performed by the developed HSS/GC/MS for screening the solvents. The 11 solvents were isolated from health functional foods based on vapor pressure difference, and followed by separation within 15 minutes in a single run. The limt of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), recovery and coefficient of variation (C.V.) of these compounds determined by the HSS/GC/MS were found to be 0.1 pg/mL, 0.1-125 pg/g, 51.0-104.6%, and less than 15%, respectively. Using the developed HSS/GC/MS method, residual solvent from 16 out of 104 health functional products were detected as a EtOH. This method therefore seems t o be a valuable extension ofanalytical method for the identification of residual solvents in health functional food.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.1077-1084
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• 2012

This study investigated the effects of Origanum majorana essential aroma therapy on electrical activity in the brain as evaluated by an electroencephalogram (EEG). The subjects were 29 healthy female young adults, and their sleep quality was assessed by using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. EEG electrodes were attached at the frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes according to the international 10-20 system. Subjects were exposed to organic Origanum majorana essential aroma (50 ${\mu}l$) for a period of 3 minutes each before, during, and after aromatherapy. Subjects with good sleep quality showed that Origanum majorana essential aroma increased the theta power at the frontal and temporal lobes of both cerebral hemispheres, the left parietal lobe, and the right occipital lobe. Furthermore, Origanum majorana essential aroma decreased the alpha power at the left occipital lobe and the beta power at the right temporal lobe. On the other hand, subjects with poor sleep quality showed an increase in the theta power at the temporal lobe of both cerebral hemispheres and a decrease in the alpha power at the left parietal lobe by Origanum majorana essential aroma therapy. It is concluded that Origanum majorana essential aroma therapy diminishes the state of wakefulness in the brain; alpha and beta powers were both decreased in the subjects with good sleep quality, but only alpha power was decreased in the subjects with poor sleep quality. Moreover, Origanum majorana essential aroma therapy has a sleep-inducing effect in both subjects with good sleep quality and poor sleep quality.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.75-85
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• 2018

The Grenpell tower fire in England in June of 2016 is a representative example of damage caused by a vertical fire spreading through external insulation. Organic insulation materials, which are widely used in external insulation, have the disadvantage that they have good insulation performance but are vulnerable to fire. Aluminum composite panels are used as exterior wall finishing materials, and plastics used in aluminum are regarded as the cause of vertical fire spread. Due to the steel frame used to secure the aluminum composite panel to the outer wall, a cavity is formed between the outer wall and outer wall finish. When a fire occurs on the outer wall, the flammable outer wall as well as the flame generated from the heat-insulating material spreads vertically through the cavity, resulting in damage to people and property. In Korea, material unit performance tests are carried out by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport notice 2015 - 744. However, in the UK, the BS 8414 test is used to measure the vertical fire spreading time on the outer wall in real scale fire tests. In this study, the risk of external wall fire was evaluated in an actual fire by conducting a real scale wall fire test (BS 8414), which was carried out in Europe, using aluminum composite panels of semi-noncombustible materials suitable for current domestic standards. The purpose of this study was to confirm the limitations of material unit evaluation of finishing materials and to confirm the necessity of introducing a system to prevent the spread of outer wall fire through an actual scale fire test.